The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-12
WONDERFUL SURGERY.
Rare and Successful Operation on a
Horse.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.


From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Several days ago DR.. L. A. Anderson was
called to attend a sick horse belonging to
Chris Reichel, the transfer man, whose
stable is on Water street, between Vine and
Race The sick horse was a fine, large ami
NAL, weighing 800 pounds, and his owner
was loath to lose him. Almost month ago
the horse became violently ill, and was I'M
able to be worked From fine, large draft
horse he fell away in flesh TO a mere skele-
ton and lay in his stall with scarcely enough
power'to raise his head He ate with but
little relish, and for nine days previous TO
the doctors first call
THE HORSE REFUSED TO EAT
morsel of food. The stable hands were
unable to account for the mysterious dis
ease. but attributed it to an affection of the
throat Simple remedies were applied, but
all to no purpose, and finally Dr. Anderson
was called in. An examination located the
cause of the trouble, which lay in two de-
cayed teeth in the upper jaw. Two large
cavities that exposed the nerve were found
in each tooth, and the cause OF the animals
intense suffering and inability to eat was
soon apparent.
DIR. Anderson decided that the removal
of the teeth was the only thing that would
afford any relief, and the operation known
as preparation or trephining, was set for
yesterday afternoon. The animals head
was held by two assistants while DR. An
derSon proceeded to make T-shapel in
cision in the skin, one inch and half under
| the left eye The flaps of skin were care
fully laid back, exposing the bone. Then
with scalpel the mucous membrane was
scRAPED FROM THE BONE.
And the doctor made ready for the trephln-
| ing An instrument very much resembling
| hand-augur, save that the cutting surface
| an inch in diameter--is toothed like saw,
was seized, and by scmi-circular move
ment from left to right round hole was
| bored through the bone, the dry dust and
blood being sponged away as the boring pro
cess proceeded. The horse meanwhile was
| put under the influence of no anaesthetic,
and suffered no apparent pain. After
about ten minutes of boring the bone was
cut through, and the teeth could be plainly
seem. The end or root of the teeth, after
passing through the gums and jawbone, run
up into hollow space or cavity, and it was
here that the work was done,
A punch was passed through the hole in
the skull, and with tie all of it the two
molars could easily be reachd. Then a
hammer was brought into play, and with a
few well-directed strokes
THE TEETH WERE LooSENED,
and partly driven down through the bone.
| DIR. Anderson then thrust bis hand into the
animals mouth and pulled out the two
molers, each of which was as large as a
mans two fingers. The opening left in the
| jawbone could be plainly seen through the
hole, and to prevent food from passing up
into the cavity, and to keep the parts clean,
cork, soaked in a solution of carbolc
acid, was fitted into the opening in the
skull, and held in place by small string
tied to the halter.
This cork can be removed at will, a sy-
ringe can be inserted into the opening and
the space left by Che extraction of the teeth
is thus left clean and free from food and
| foreign matter. In about three weeks the
opening will have healed, when the cork
can bc removed from the hole in the skull,
The flaps of skin will then be put back to
cover the hole and a plaster of pitch applied,
and the skin will soon heal.
At tho end of the operation, which re-
qured Just twenty minutes to perform, the
| poor animal gave unmista kable signs Of re-
lief He reached his head down for some OF
the straw in his stall, and when it was taken
away he neighed for more. This is the first
case on record where the fifth and sixth
molars of horse were extracted, although
similar operations on the frontal molars
| have been performed.